A 50-member panel tasked with amending Egypt's constitution says the North African country’s new charter will be ready by early November.

Constituent assembly spokesman Mohamed Salmawy said on Sunday that the panel, which has been at work for the past two weeks, has approved almost a third of the constitution.

The panel was appointed by interim President Adly Mansour, who came to power after the Egyptian military ousted former President Mohamed Morsi in July.

The new constitution will replace the one approved in a nationwide referendum in December 2012.

Parliamentary and presidential elections will be held after the adoption of the amended charter, expected by February.

The head of the Egyptian armed forces, General Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, pushed aside Morsi on July 3, and declared that the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court, Adly Mansour, had been appointed as the new interim president of Egypt. The army also suspended the constitution and dissolved the parliament.

Since Morsi’s ouster, Egypt has been the scene of demonstrations held by former president’s supporters demanding his reinstatement.

On Sunday, hundreds of Morsi’s backers protested against his ouster at schools and universities in Egypt. Authorities, who had anticipated the protests, increased security force deployments at campuses around the country.

Meanwhile, Muslim Brotherhood leader and former lawmaker Essam el-Erian urged students to continue their protests.

“When we go out in these protests and call for them it is on your behalf, for your future,” he said in a video aired on Sunday, adding, “You are the hope for the future of this Egyptian, Arab and Islamic country and of all humanity.”


Supporters of Morsi also plan to campaign against the new constitution in an effort to weaken the military-backed government.

Hundreds of people have lost their lives in the violence between Morsi supporters and the security forces so far.